What Is Triage?
The process of assessing patients and prioritizing their care based on the severity of their condition and urgency of treatment needed. Medical assistants perform initial triage by evaluating vital signs, chief complaints, and determining which patients require immediate attention versus those who can wait.
Triage across 2 exams
Triage appears on the following exams. Each defines it in the context candidates are tested on:
- CCMA (NHA)
- The process of assessing patients and prioritizing their care based on the severity of their condition and urgency of treatment needed. Medical assistants perform initial triage by evaluating vital signs, chief complaints, and determining which patients require immediate attention versus those who can wait.
- CMA (AAMA)
- The process of assessing and prioritizing patients based on the urgency of their medical condition to determine the order of treatment. CMAs must understand triage protocols to help manage patient flow efficiently in busy clinical settings.